First Broccoli and Succession Planting

[GoDawgs]

The first Green Magic broccoli is ready! It didn't do well the first time I planted it (spring '22) but did well this past fall so I tried again this spring and put them out earlier. I'm anxious to see how good side shoot production is.



I'm trying to refine brassica succession planting to avoid avalanches of any one thing. This year I set out several rounds of all of them. Right now all four Green Magic of Round 1 are about ready and by the time they're all cut the first Packman of Round 2 will be ready.

So far here's the broccoli succession:

Round 1 broccoli: Green Magic - seed started 1/15, planted out 2/9, first harvest 4/15
Round 2 broccoli: Packman - seed started 1/23, planted out 2/21, heads are about 3" right now
Round 3 broccoli: Packman - seed started 2/3, planted out 3/10 and Green Magic - seed started 2/3, planted out 3/10

For Round 3 broccoli I'm counting on the 10 day difference in dtms (Packman 50 days, Green Magic 60 days) to provide a natural stagger. But as we all know that often doesn't make a difference when weather conditions are good and stuff starts growing fast. I didn't do a Round 4 of broccoli as by the time they'd be ready the weather would be a lot warmer.

I am testing an MMMM broccoli I got that was developed in Brazil for heat tolerance and will have four plantings (one each time) of Piracicaba (55 dtm), started 2/12, 2/24, 3/2, 3/28. So far three have been planted out, one each on 3/23, 3/28 and 4/15. One more to go in about 2 weeks. That last one should finish in June, later than I've ever had broccoli to do well. Will June be hot or nice? We'll see.

[MissS]

@GoDawgs you are growing my two favorite varieties of broccoli. It's nice to know that they do well in both of our climates.

[JRinPA]

I was really impressed with green magic spring and fall last year. Good side shoots spring and fall, protected by row cover and then BT spray.

I hope it works out with the succession planting. There are couple reasons I don't try it much. Starting broccoli 3 times like that is one of them, 3 times the work is what I see. Another, it makes it harder to reboot the whole row at once. Probably be fall peas going in the broccoli/cauliflower row around late July/early August.

I guess it is a combination of climate, work habits, and plenty of deep freezer space that compels me to do it this way.
ex. Round 1, green magic, planted out early FEB - yeah right! not in PA. I'm worried about getting out a couple days ago, even under AG19, it is supposed to be in the 30s again one of these nights. But I have extras if they get zapped.

Will June be hot? LOL, Oh you betcha!

[GoDawgs]

That whole bed is brassicas. One half of the bed was Round 1 brassicas; 4 Green Magic, 4 Early Jersey Wakefield cabbages, 4 Early Snowball cauliflowers along the sides. 4 of the early Kolibri kohlrabi (43 days) and 4 of the later Blauer Spec (60 days) down the middle. The other half of the bed had Round 2 brassicas; 4 Packman broccoli, 4 ES cauli and 3 Stonehead cabbage with the first Piracicaba broc in the middle.

That whole bed will be done by the end of May. So far there's nothing scheduled behind it but it will probably end up in zinnias or mulched well and let it be fallow until fall. Rounds 3 & 4 are similar in the plantings and in a separate bed.

Being able to pretty much grow something all year round is in some ways a blessing and in other ways not. There are times when I wish I didn't do that but there's always that gardening itch to scratch and it just won't let me alone!

[JRinPA]

Nematodes, the idea of nematodes, of walking barefoot with nematodes down there. It keeps me above the mason dixon line.

Like Elaine said,"I don't know HOW you guys live those things..."